People who lost their homes in the devastating earthquake that hit Nepal nearly two years ago are tired of waiting for help to rebuild.
	The slow pace of distributing government grant money for rebuilding has left many people to spend their second winter without a home.
	Nhuchhe Laxmi Prajapati and Shiva Prajapati, who are not related, are building their houses now, by taking out loans with high interest rates.
	Their homes and hundreds of others were damaged during the April 25, 2015, earthquake in the town of Bhaktapur, which is known for brick paved roads, old palaces and artistic Hindu temples. It's just 13 kilometers (8 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu.
	When the earthquake shook the house of Shiva Prajapati, 12 family members were buried by the falling bricks. Three died and six of the survivors had serious injuries.
	He waited for months for help but finally took out a USD 30,000 loan from the bank at 12 percent interest rate and began constructing a house for the family ..

Tired of the cold wait, Nepal quake survivors rebuild

PTI Automatic

President-elect Donald Trump wants Wall Street lawyer Jay Clayton to be chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
	Trump said in a statement that Clayton is "a highly talented expert on many aspects of financial and regulatory law."
	Trump said his nominee will work to ensure that financial institutions "can thrive and create jobs while playing by the rules at the same time."
	The Senate must OK the nomination of Clayton, a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP.
	Clayton is the latest Trump pick with deep ties to Wall Street -- having represented Goldman Sachs Group Inc. And Barclays Capital Inc.
	Trump said he wants to undo many regulations that he says have "stifled investment" in Americans businesses.
	Clayton said he'll "carefully monitor" the financial sector and set policies that encourages companies to create jobs.
	Donald Trump is warning Republicans against letting Democrats escape blame for problems with President Barack Obama's health care law.
	The ...

Trump picks Wall Street lawyer Clayton for SEC

New York City authorities say more than 100 people suffered minor injuries when a Long Island Rail Road train hit a bumping block at a Brooklyn station.
	Fire officials at the scene today said metal that appeared to be from a rail pierced the bottom of the train and the wheels lifted up. They said the crash also damaged a work area beyond the tracks.
	Governor Andrew Cuomo said the train was moving very slowly. He said it "wasn't really a derailment."'
	Eleven of the injured were taken to hospitals. Officials at the scene estimated that 600 to 700 people were on the train.
	They said many passengers were standing as they prepared to get off the train.
	The cause is under investigation.

Over 100 suffer minor injuries in NYC train accident

His inauguration less than three weeks away, President-elect Donald Trump is raising new doubts about the nation's intelligence community, tweeting fresh criticism at the same people who will help inform his most sensitive decisions once he takes office.
	Trump charged yesterday on Twitter, without evidence, that the timing of an upcoming intelligence briefing on suspected Russian interference in the 2016 election had been delayed.
	"Perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!" he wrote, using quote marks around the word "intelligence." Trump's tweet, in line with repeated criticism of his nation's intelligence leaders, caused confusion among intelligence officials, who said there was no delay in the briefing schedule.
	The fresh clash came as Trump took further steps to fill his Cabinet and key White House positions, with his attention shifting toward the challenges of governing.
	Trump's plans for repealing President Barack Obama's signature health care law are expected .

Trump questions US intelligence as governing challenges loom

The governor of a northern Brazilian state is under fire for prison riots in which 60 inmates died.
	Brazil's bar association is suing the Amazonas state government, accusing it of negligence and a judge has given Governor Jose Melo 72 hours to respond to the accusation.
	Brazil's national justice minister says Melo's government knew there was a rising risk of prison riots.
	Melo insists his administration is doing what's needed to avoid more mass killings.
	In an interview with CBN radio today, Melo says those who died "were no saints. They were rapists, killers."
	Four prisons in the state saw riots Sunday and Monday. At least 184 inmates escaped.

'No saints' among 60 killed in Brazil prisons, governor says

Police today questioned an Iraqi journalist who was abducted last week from her Baghdad home, after she was released by her captors last night.
	Details remain sketchy about the abduction of Afrah Shawqi al-Qaisi, a veteran journalist and a vocal critic of Iraq's endemic corruption who is also an employee of the culture ministry. No group has claimed responsibility for snatching her.
	Elsewhere, an Iraqi military helicopter crashed north of Baghdad today, killing the four-member crew, while Iraqi forces battling the Islamic State group in Mosul said they have taken two more neighborhoods of the city from the militants.
	The case of al-Qaisi has shaken Baghdad residents. The gunmen who abducted her on December 26 had claimed they were members of the security forces and asked to search her home before snatching her. They also took gold, money, phones, laptops and her car.
	"Thank God, I'm fine," al-Qaisi told the local NRT satellite TV station shortly after her release. "They treated me 

Police question Iraqi journalist freed by her abductors

Jury selection is set to begin in the murder trial of a former top executive at a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy that has been blamed for a national meningitis outbreak that killed 64 people in 2012.
	Barry Cadden is charged with 25 counts of murder and other offenses under federal racketeering laws. He is the co-founder and former head pharmacist of New England Compounding Center in Framingham.
	Federal prosecutors allege that the center used expired ingredients and failed to follow industry cleanliness standards, resulting in tainted steroid injections.
	Hundreds across the country were sickened with fungal meningitis in the fall of 2012.
	Cadden has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer has said that prosecutors overreached in charged him with causing deaths.
	Jury selection is scheduled to begin today in US District Court.

Trial to begin over meningitis outbreak that killed 64 total

Rex Tillerson, the nominee of President-elect Donald Trump for secretary of state, is severing ties with Exxon Mobil through a USD 180 million retirement package ahead of a Senate confirmation hearing.
	Tillerson will surrender all unpaid stock that was part of his pay package, more than 2 million shares.
	In exchange, the company will make a cash payment equal to the value of those shares to a trust to be overseen by a third party, according to a regulatory filing today with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
	Because of the way the compensation is being dispensed, Tillerson will give up about USD 7 million, compared with what he would have been paid had he retired in March as he had planned to do before the nomination.
	Tillerson, who worked for Exxon for more than 40 years, would have reached the company's mandatory retirement age of 65 by March.
	Tillerson would lose all assets in the trust if he returned to the oil and gas industry after leaving government service, the funds 

Tillerson and Exxon part ways; USD 180M retirement package

Thailand's prime minister is vowing to crack down on the country's private van transportation industry after a fiery crash that killed 25 people.
	Thailand has one of the highest traffic fatality rates in the world, and vans, especially used for commuting, have been involved in a number of accidents involving multiple deaths.
	Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said today he will tighten regulations on van transport in response to revelations that the van driver responsible for the crash may have skirted regulations and not gotten enough sleep, causing him to doze off while driving.
	The van had been on its way to Bangkok from eastern Thailand on Monday when it swerved over the median into oncoming traffic and collided with a pickup truck, causing both vehicles to catch fire.

Thai PM plans driving crackdown after deadly van crash

An Arab separatist group has claimed two pipeline bombings in Iran's oil-rich south and threatened to launch more attacks in the coming year as the country tries to boost production following the nuclear deal with world powers.
	Iranian state media and officials did not immediately comment on the claim by the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz, which said it bombed the pipelines early yesterday morning in Khuzestan province.
	The militants released online video they said showed one of the pipelines exploding. The Associated Press could not immediately verify the footage, though previous attacks have been attributed to the group.
	The separatists' statement said the bombings came in response to Iran's Oil Ministry publishing a list of 29 international companies qualified to bid for projects following the atomic accord.
	The group said 2017 will be "very different to previous years since the movement has prepared detailed and precise plans to carry out a number of ...

Arab separatists claim 2 pipeline bombings in southern Iran

Turkey has identified the gunman in the Istanbul nightclub massacre that killed 39 people, including two Indians, the foreign minister said today as the president vowed that the country won't surrender to terrorists or become divided.
	The gunman, who killed 39 people during New Year's celebrations at the Reina club, is still at large. But Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said authorities had identified the man, without providing details.
	"The identity of the person who carried out the attack on the Reina nightclub has been established," Cavusoglu told Anadolu in a live televised interview.
	Turkish police, meanwhile, detained at least five suspected Islamic State group militants believed to be linked to the attack, the state-run news agency reported. The operation was launched in the Aegean port city of Izmir and was ongoing, Anadolu Agency said.
	IS has claimed responsibility for the attack, which also wounded nearly 70 people. Of those killed 27 were foreigners, many from the ...

Turkey identifies club gunman; Erdogan speaks to nation

A northern Denmark judge says she is strongly considering taking legal steps against South Korean journalists for violating Danish law by filming inside a courtroom the daughter of the impeached South Korean president's confidante during a detention hearing.
	Malene Urup says South Korean reporters filmed and spoke to Yoora Chung on Sunday, hours after her arrest on an international warrant. The interviews eventually were posted on South Korean news media's websites.
	Urup told The Associated Press on Wednesday that reporters were informed in Danish and English "several times" about the ban and asked to delete the videos.
	Urup said that she hadn't decided when or how many would be reported to the police for violating Danish law, adding "we take this very seriously." The penalty if convicted is a fine.

South Korean reporters could face legal steps in Denmark

Image via   Shutterst

Afrah Shawqi al-Qaisi is a prominent critic of Iraq's endemic corruption, government mismanagement

Kidnapped Iraqi journalist set free in Baghdad

Press Trust of India

A French court has granted the son of Equatorial Guinea's president more time to prepare his defence against charges that he spent millions in government funds on high-end cars, art and real estate abroad while his compatriots languish in poverty.
	Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue's lawyer requested a delay in the trial, arguing that he hadn't had enough preparation time. Defense lawyer Emmanuel Marsigny said the court approved the request today.
	Obiang didn't appear for the trial, which is the result of years of investigations by French authorities and anti-corruption groups into foreign spending of African dignitaries.
	Obiang, Equatorial Guinea's second vice president, faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of corruption, money laundering and embezzlement. His lawyer denies his client did anything illegal.

French corruption trial of African leader's son postponed

Morocco has become the latest Muslim-majority country to authorise Islamic banks, amid growing market demand for Sharia-compliant banking.
	The Moroccan central bank announced this week it has approved five such banks, fulfilling a long-standing promise of the Islamist party leading a coalition government since 2011.
	Among them are leading national banks Attijariwafa, linked to the royal family, state-owned Banque Centrale Populaire and private BMCE Bank of Africa. All three hold increasing assets around French-speaking Africa. The others are CIH Bank and Credit Agricole du Maroc.
	Four of the five will be partnerships between Moroccan banks and Islamic financial institutions in the Gulf, according to a statement from the central bank.
	The approval of Islamic banks was long awaited by the market and the political scene.
	Morocco had been reticent about Islamic finance, seeing it as politically sensitive, but now sees it as a growth prospect. The Islamist PJD party had made the ...

Seeing demand, Morocco approves first Islamic banks

At least five suspected Islamic State group militants believed to be linked to the deadly Istanbul nightclub attack were detained by Police today, Turkey's state-run news agency reported.
	Anadolu Agency said the operation was launched in the Aegean port city of Izmir and was on going.
	The gunman, who killed 39 people, including two Indians, during New Year's celebrations, has not been publicly named and is still at large.
	The IS group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which also wounded nearly 70 people.
	The private Dogan news agency said the police operation targeted three families who had arrived in Izmir about 20 days ago from Konya a city in central Turkey where the gunman is thought to have been based before carrying out the nightclub attack. It said 27 people, including women and children, were taken into custody.
	At least 14 people were previously detained in connection with the attack, including two foreigners stopped Tuesday at the international terminal of ...

Turkey detains 5 IS suspects linked to nightclub attack

More than 130 inmates have escaped in one of the largest jailbreaks in recent years after suspected Muslim rebels attacked a jail in the southern Philippines before dawn today, officials said.
	Jail warden Superintendent Peter Bongat said a guard was killed and an inmate was wounded in a gunbattle when dozens of gunmen stormed the North Cotabato District Jail in Kidapawan. The city is in Cotabato Province.
	Kidapawan police chief Superintendent Leo Ajero said two prisoners of the 132 who escaped had been recaptured, and army troops and police were searching for the others. The jail held more than 1,500 inmates.
	Local village leader Alexander Austria told The Associated Press by telephone that he and his men captured one of the men.
	He said the exchanges of gunfire woke his village, which was several kilometers (miles) from the prison, and he immediately posted guards because of worries the attackers and escaped inmates could enter the village.
	"We heard the gunfire and we sprang ...

Suspected rebels storm Philippine jail, 132 inmates escape

A businessman from northern Haiti who has never held political office was certified as the official winner of the November presidential election following a ruling by an electoral tribunal that found no evidence of large-scale voter fraud.
	The Provisional Electoral Council published final results yesterday showing that Jovenel Moise easily won a first-round victory with more than 55 per cent of the votes, the same as the preliminary results that were announced in late November.
	His nearest challenger, Jude Celestin, had nearly 20 per cent.
	Release of the results came hours after a special electoral tribunal announced that it had found some irregularities in the Nov 20 election but not enough to affect the outcome based on an analysis of 12 per cent of the ballots.
	Moise, a 48-year-old from northern Haiti who was chosen by former President Michel Martelly to run as the candidate of his Tet Kale party, defeated 26 rivals in the first round and avoided a runoff.
	Several rivals ...

Haiti certifies presidential win for businessman candidate

Mexican environmental authorities seized a Bengal tiger after a man took it for a walk on a leash in a neighborhood of the border city of Tijuana.
	The attorney general's office for environmental protection said yesterday the 4-month-old tiger had been living in a private home with children.
	The man had papers showing he recently bought the tiger, which was found to be in good health but lacking its claws.
	But officials say the animal was seized and placed temporarily at a local zoo because the owner did not take appropriate security and animal-welfare measures.
	A resident called police to complain there was a man walking a tiger on a dog leash.
	Authorities caught the man outside the home, which is on Lion Street in a low-income neighborhood of Tijuana.

Mexico seizes tiger after man takes it for walk in Tijuana

At least 400 Ugandan workers at a Chinese-owned construction company went on strike to protest alleged sexual harassment by managers and poor pay.
	The angry employees staged a demonstration yesterday outside the offices of the state-owned China Railway Seventh Group in Uganda's capital, Kampala.
	One of the workers, Agnes Namusisi, said managers pay employees who agree to their sexual advances.
	"I have not been paid for the last three months because I refused sexual advances from my boss," Namusisi said. The alleged mistreatment also includes long hours and supervisors beating workers who are delayed getting to their jobs, she said.
	Kampala's Kawembe division's Town Clerk Geoffrey Rwakabale said the road construction work that China Railway Seventh Group was hired to do has been suspended for three days pending the outcome of discussions between city authorities and company managers.
	"We have decided that workers temporarily stop working until Thursday as we engage the managers of 

Ugandans at Chinese company strike over alleged harassment

United Nations observers are in hot water in Colombia over a video showing them dancing with leftist rebels while deployed to watch over the guerrillas as part of a peace deal.
	The short video was shot by Spanish news agency EFE from inside a jungle camp in northern Colombia during a New Year's Eve party. It shows two men wearing blue vests with UN insignia dancing hip-to-hip with female guerrillas.
	The images, dismissed by some as a folkish display of Colombians' love for revelry in even the most adverse circumstances, drew sharp rebuke from opponents of the peace deal between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
	"What a joke," conservative lawmaker Maria Fernanda Cabal blasted out on Twitter. "How can we trust in the UN delegates' impartiality when they go partying with the FARC?"
	The U.N. Mission in a statement late yesterday said it would take appropriate measures.
	"This behavior is inappropriate and doesn't reflect the values of professionalism and .

AP

AP

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